About this role.
ClickUp is seeking a Staff AI Engineer to build and operate the backend AI platform supporting production LLM-powered product features. The role combines distributed backend engineering, model serving, provider integration, orchestration, evaluation, observability, and MLOps. The engineer will establish reliable, scalable, secure, and cost-efficient AI services while partnering closely with product, frontend, and data teams. Strong experience with LLM applications, cloud-native infrastructure, privacy controls, and production AI platform operations is essential.
Role DNA
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Core skills
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Sample interview questions
I would create a provider-agnostic inference interface with centralized routing policies based on task requirements, latency, quality, availability, and cost. The platform would include provider health checks, circuit breakers, fallback models, request budgets, caching where appropriate, and detailed telemetry for quality, spend, and latency. I would also make model and prompt versions explicit so changes can be evaluated and rolled back safely.
I would use layered evaluation: automated offline tests with representative, versioned datasets; rubric-based and model-assisted evaluations; targeted human review for high-risk workflows; and online monitoring of feature-level outcomes. Each release should have measurable quality, safety, latency, and cost thresholds, with regression detection and rollback mechanisms. Evaluation data should be anonymized and governed according to privacy requirements.
I start with data classification and minimization, then enforce tenant isolation, encryption, least-privilege access, audit logging, and clear retention policies. Sensitive data should be redacted or anonymized before external model calls when possible, and provider agreements and configuration must match data-processing requirements. I would also address prompt injection, data exfiltration, unsafe tool use, and output filtering through defense-in-depth controls.
I would separate synchronous latency-sensitive traffic from asynchronous batch workloads and use queueing, autoscaling, rate limiting, and workload prioritization. Capacity planning would be guided by token throughput, concurrency, tail latency, and provider limits rather than request count alone. I would expose service-level objectives and implement graceful degradation, including smaller-model or cached-response fallbacks where product behavior permits.
I would align early on the user problem, success metrics, failure modes, and acceptable quality threshold. Together, we would define representative scenarios, instrument the feature for user feedback and outcomes, and run staged releases with clear go/no-go criteria. This ensures the platform team optimizes not only model behavior but also the product experience, safety, reliability, and business value.
At ClickUp, we’re building the future of work: the first truly converged AI workspace unifying tasks, docs, chat, calendar, and enterprise search, all supercharged by context-driven AI. We are an AI-native company. Every team member is expected to leverage AI daily, and we evaluate AI fluency as part of our hiring process. Join us and help redefine what’s possible. 🚀
Role Overview:
We are seeking a highly skilled Staff AI Engineer – AI Platform to join our ClickUp Engineering team. In this role, you will play a critical part in both building the core AI platform and directly applying large language models (LLMs) to deliver intelligent features across ClickUp. You will focus on backend systems that enable scalable, reliable, and secure AI-powered capabilities, while also working hands-on with LLMs to solve real user problems and drive product innovation.
Key Responsibilities:
Architect, design, and implement scalable AI platform services that support the deployment, orchestration, and lifecycle management of LLMs and other AI models.
Apply LLMs and other AI technologies directly to build and enhance ClickUp’s intelligent features, working closely with product and engineering teams to deliver impactful solutions.
Build and maintain robust APIs and backend systems that enable seamless integration of AI-powered features into ClickUp’s core platform.
Develop infrastructure for model serving, monitoring, logging, and automated evaluation to ensure high reliability and performance of AI services in production.
Integrate with multiple LLM providers (e.g., OpenAI, Anthropic, Google) and manage model selection, routing, and fallback strategies for optimal performance and cost.
Drive the adoption of best practices in AI privacy, security, and compliance, including data anonymization, secure data handling, and regulatory adherence.
Optimize platform performance, scalability, and cost-efficiency, leveraging cloud-native technologies and distributed systems.
Stay current with advancements in AI infrastructure, MLOps, and LLM applications, and proactively incorporate relevant innovations into ClickUp’s AI platform.
Collaborate cross-functionally with product, frontend, and data teams to deliver seamless, reliable, and user-centric AI experiences.
Qualifications:
Extensive experience designing and building scalable AI/ML platforms or infrastructure in a production environment.
Proven track record of applying LLMs and AI models to real-world product features and user-facing solutions.
Deep expertise in backend engineering, distributed systems, and cloud-native technologies (e.g., Kubernetes, Docker, AWS/GCP/Azure).
Proven experience integrating and managing multiple LLMs and AI models, with a strong understanding of their operational requirements and limitations.
Proficiency in orchestration frameworks and workflow engines (e.g., LangGraph, Airflow, Kubeflow, Ray, or similar).
Strong programming skills in Python, Go, TypeScript or similar languages used for backend and AI platform development.
Experience with MLOps best practices, including model deployment, monitoring, logging, and automated evaluation.
Demonstrated ability to address AI privacy and security challenges, including data anonymization and compliance with data protection regulations.
Familiarity with search technologies and their integration into AI-driven applications.
Excellent collaboration and communication skills, with a track record of working effectively in cross-functional teams.
Passion for staying at the forefront of AI infrastructure and applying new technologies to solve real-world problems at scale.
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Equal Opportunity Employer
ClickUp is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin.
Privacy Notice
ClickUp collects and processes personal data in accordance with applicable data protection laws. You can find further details by viewing our Global Candidate Privacy Notice.
If you are a Philippine Job Applicant, please also see our Philippine Data Privacy Notice for further details.
Visa Sponsorship
Please note we are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa for roles outside of engineering and product at this time. Sponsorship for engineering and product roles is not guaranteed, but is instead based on the business needs for that specific role at that time. Please reach out to the recruiter with any questions.
Fraud Alert
ClickUp Talent Acquisition will only initiate contact via an @clickup.com email or through our official careers portal on clickup.com. We will never request fees, payments, or sensitive personal information. Please disregard any offers received outside these channels and report them to support@clickup.com.
AI Processing Notice
ClickUp may use artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies to help review and screen candidates’ employment applications against role-related criteria. These tools support, but do not replace, human decision‑making. If you have questions or need an accommodation in the recruitment process, please contact us at AskPeople@ClickUp.com.
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